CULTURE: Calendar of Festivals

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CULTURE: Calendar of Festivals

Post by Matope »

Folklore and Festivals

Kin have many of the same stories we do--a Flood story, a Cinderella story, a Trickster cycle or three, etc.--although they are of course different in the details. Many stories have several variants due to the Kin oral tradition, and even the Creation myth is available in a plethora of versions.

Generally speaking, Kin believe that the Swamp, who is also an almighty and genderless (although usually personified as a female) God, created a vast world by galloping from one end of the sky to the other, whereupon She shook out Her fur and Her fleas became the stars. From two ticks in her ears She created a sun and a moon so that She could see Her work. She created many types of places, but none of them pleased Her, and so She took her favorite traits of each and created the Swamp. She peopled it with many creatures, and then took the form of a crane and laid five eggs, each of which hatched into a male/female pair of animals. They were all Kin, but only one of those pairs had the name Kimeti. There are varying stories about what happened to the other eggs (now revealed as the other species that have found their way to the swamp...) but all end with the idea that the Kimeti were blessed by the crane and given the swamp to live in, and had fireflies put into their eyes. For this reason both cranes and fireflies are sacred animals to the Kimeti.

Although Kin are far flung, they gather together in accordance to certain astronomical and equinoctial events. For the weeks leading up to these festivals, songs are sung very loudly and carry like a chain across the entire swamp. Due to the slow nature of navigating the swamp, some festivals last for weeks so that even those furthest to the south can join the festivities at Ghost Thistle's mound.

The major Kin festivals are as follows:

Festival of Abundance: Corresponds to and happens in our March/April
Green and white are the colors of this festival, which occurs at the height of spring, and is designed to celebrate the enormous life in the swamp at this time. White flowers are especially prized courtship gifts, and green and white Kin may find themselves the center of attention. Kin take special pains to float large turtle shells or hollow logs full of food from their parts of the swamp to the meeting place, and recently, an enterprising pair of bucks named Mirebeat and Walks-Between introduced an intoxicating drink made of fermented fallen fruit that was quite the hit. For the younger Kin , the Festival of Abundance may be a time simply for feasting till the belly aches, but for mature Kin, the night times of the Festival are a time, quite simply, for unrepentant romance. For weeks following this festival, the swamp is full of clutches of new eggs.
Flower Festival: Corresponds to and happens in our May/June
As the swamp comes to life in the spring, so starts plant and flower festival, where kin from all over the swamp, plains, mountains, or even the caves can bring the fabulous sprouts that they have either found or cultivated themselves to show off, sell, or even enter into some competitions! It started as a ridiculous little competition between two kin: who could grow the biggest, lushest flowers, who could show off a flower whose smell was intoxicating, or whose petals were so bright they could attract the eye of a doe from five hundred paces. In time, the flower fervor expanded: the two kin found friends, and others, and eventually whole tribes were included in showing off their wares and flowers.

Now, tribes hold a large place in this particular festival. They choose to stake out claims on chunks of the festival grounds for their own purposes -- whether it be looking for certain kinds of plants, selling wares that they've created, or merely recruiting new members who might have showed up for their festivities, it's all welcomed to help the event thrive and grow. The festival takes place in a wide clearing almost into Kiokote territory, of a similar sort to where the Games were once held. Here the ground is still a little cool, damp, moist underfoot, good for sore ankles and feet, and also good for the growing things that kin have brought with them, which might need to be tended to, or kept cool, or might need water: this is the flower festival, a celebration of the height of growing season.
Festival of Fire: Corresponds to and happens in our July/August
At the height of summer, Kin gather together to celebrate heat and flame. It never fails that at some point a summer thunderstorm will touch off a sluggish forest fire some time before or during the festival, and this is matter-of-factly considered to be a gift from the Swamp. The festival celebrates rebirth and children, and is generally a very upbeat affair, with singing and dancing. Orange, red, and yellow-furred Kin are given special treatment, and many Kin adorn themselves in red clay and the fire-colored feathers of various birds. It is customary to give red and orange flowers to foals, colts, and fillies at this time, as a good luck token both to them and to the giver.
Day of the Dead: Corresponds to and happens in our October/November
As autumn winds down into winter, Kin become reflective. An enormous pile of clay and wood is constructed atop Ghost Thistle's mound before the winter rains begin, and Kin come to scratch in symbols for loved ones lost in the past year (see below post). Stories are told honoring the dead, and this is not a sad time, but it is a serious one. When the first rain comes, Kin stand circled around the earth mound and watch the symbols get swept away in the water, and cover themselves in the mud as it spreads, until all the gathered Kin are nearly indistinguishable from one another. This is symbolic of the fact that all Kin return to the Swamp at their death, and of the great sameness and mortality that bind all the Kin together. Afterwards, Kin bathe in the rain and in clear pools, and this marks the end of the festival.
Winter Market: Corresponds to and happens in our December/January
As more Kin have joined the swamp, the Winter Market has grown into a time of enthusiastic giving, making the most of the coldest time of year. The market has been set up in a dry part of the swamp, wide and long, sheltered by some wide-sprawling branches. Here there are many fallen stumps and logs that kin can use to set up shop. And this is the core of the festival: kin selling wares, or running games, offering pebbles or taking them from the visitors who move through the clearing each day. It's a social event where kin might find the special fruit juices that some kin have been allowing to ferment in scooped out logs, or some of the creatively fired goodies that others have created with the aid of some salamander friends. It's a smorgasbord of activity, friends greeting friends, raucous laughter...
Last edited by Matope on Tue Feb 11, 2020 11:49 am, edited 1 time in total. word count: 1231
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